Officers bribed to shield illegal aliens at Fattani Printers

Malawi’s Immigration Department is without controversy and the latest scandal is that 10 officers from the repatriation department led by Schubert Mwalweni collected K60 000 from Fattani Printers in Blantyre to allow three illegal immigrants to continue staying in the country without leave to remain..

Mwalweni was also recently involved in the issuance of a Malawian passport with the number 162187 to a Zimbabwean lady called Thandi Kaitano who claimed to have come from Chikosa village in Mwanza district.

Thandi was arrested at Mwanza border by another Immigration official after noticing that Kaitano was not a Malawian but had a Malawian passport.

Reports indicate that three foreigners whose documents to stay in the country expired last year are still working at Fattani and the department is fully aware of their existence but received kickbacks to allow them to stay in the country.

Sources revealed the three foreigners as Atilla Knatics from Hungery, Chris Huttings from South Africa and Chamara from Sri Lanka.

“Kantics was working at DAPP and his permit to stay in the country expired and his file for reapplication was rejected on 14 th May 2011. Huttings applied for readmission to stay in the country and was given six month,” a source told Nyasa Times.

“According to the Immigration rules, he should have gone back to his country to wait for the result of his application. His waiting period ends on March 4 2012,” a source said.

According to a notice from the Immigration published on 16 August 2011, any applicant for permit to stay in a country has to wait while in his home country for the process to be done.

When the matter was reported to Immigration, Mwalweni led a team of 10 officers to Fattani repatriate the officers but after a meeting with bosses at Fattani, the team left without picking the foreigners.

“I can confirm to you that they were given K60 000 by Fattani and they left,” said a source familiar with the incident.

The figure was also corroborated by some workers at Fattani.

Mwalweni refused to comment on the matter.

Everytime Nyasa Times reporter asked for Fattani’s comment, was told he was having prayers and could grant interview.

Recently, Inspector General of Malawi Police, Peter Mukhito, accused the country’s immigration department of having formed a syndicate with foreigners to aid illegal entry into the country.